Hocus Pocus
by captainqueer
Summary: Mari Tucker, oldest daughter of Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemst. Except, nobody else knows that. Sent away to a private care home at a very early age, she's back and ready to finally take Nina away from her father, who she doesn't trust enough to take care of the sister she loves so much. But, things never do work out as planned for Mari.
1. Chapter 1

**Cover belongs to Fukari on DeviantArt. **

**Disclaimer; I only own my OCs.**

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><p><em>"Mari Tucker." I smiled and walked up the small steps, grabbing the diploma with one hand, shaking the Dean's hand with my other.<em>

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><p>I looked around at my small apartment, which was piled high with boxes varying in size. After graduating from medical school, I didn't see a point in staying in the West. I was going to go home for a year, see if I could gain custody over Nina, and go work under a doctor up in the North. I didn't trust my father to raise my only sister, since he was too busy obsessing over his research.<p>

"Well, shitty apartment of mine, it was nice livin' in you." I patted one of the walls, giving a nod to one of the movers that was putting the other boxes on a large truck to send to the house.

Grabbing a stack of boxes that I was taking with me, I looked down at my pet Serval cat. She was probably one of the few in Amestris, having come from Aerugo while I was visiting between semesters. I found her injured in the woods one day while I was hiking, and took her back to my hotel to patch her up. She's never left my side since. "Come on, Mimi. We have a long drive ahead of us." The exotic cat meowed and rubbed against my calf, following me out the door. I shoved the boxes into the back of my car and gently tossed Mimi on the passenger side. I got in and stuck the key in the ignition, backing up and driving off, not looking back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I looked up at the large house, looking for any small changes. Having studied medicine for the last five years, I'd consider myself very observant. The garden that I'd worked on last time I was here was dead, of course. Shou was most probably too busy doing research to care for it, and Nina would rather play with Alexander than take care of flowers. It looked nice on the outside, but it was the inside that I was worried about.

I barely managed to park my car and sneak in without Nina, who was playing in the back yard, seeing me. I wanted my arrival to be a surprise, but Shou already knew. There was another car parked outside, looking military. I frowned, wondering what they would want now.

"-I'm not much of a housekeeper." I heard my father say and followed the voice to the dining room. There were stacks upon stacks of books everywhere, along with dust and dirt, and a few of Nina's toys. I groaned, running a hand through my short hair. I was going to have to clean up immediately. Honestly, how Child Services haven't been called yet is beyond me.

"No, that'd be me." I spoke up, starling everyone. Mimi darted past my legs to go sniff at the strangers, rubbing against the man in blue's uniform. He glanced down at her and frowned, nudging her away with his foot gently.

"Mari, you're here early!" Shou smiled and stood up, coming to give me a hug. I smiled and hugged him back, joining him in sitting at the table with the three. I studied them, finding the group rather...odd. I pulled his cup of tea over towards myself, taking a sip of the delicious drink. I preferred coffee, but tea was still good after the long drive.

I recognized the one on the far right as Colonel Roy Mustang, or also known as the Flame Alchemist. I only knew this because of one of my friend's obsessing over him and his 'good looks'. The one in the middle was wearing an all black outfit, with a red coat tossed over the back of his chair. He had blonde hair, and unique golden eyes. I've seen those eyes somewhere, but I couldn't remember. The last was a large suit of armor, making my brows quirk up in interest. Who goes around wearing that casually?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward. As the Colonel must have told you, I'm the Sewing Alchemist, Shou Tucker." I put my elbow on the table, resting my chin on my palm.

"I'm his oldest daughter, Mimi Tucker." I smirked, studying the boys further. "I understand that this is probably confidential, so I'll leave you men to it. Mimi, follow."

I stood up and walked to the back door, and I could feel their eyes on my back. The last thing I heard before the door cut off all sound was Mustang's words.

"I had no idea you had another daughter, Tucker."

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><p><strong>Chapters will get longer, I promise! First chapters almost always kick my ass, though.<strong>

**Tell me what you think! Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated :)**


	2. Chapter 2

I barely managed to catch Mustang when he was on his way out. "Hey, Hot Head!" I shut the front door behind me and jogged over to where he was about to get in his car. He paused and looked back at me. I grabbed his arm and the blonde lady stepped out of the driver's seat, but I didn't pay attention to her. "I need you to keep an eye on my dad." Mustang raised a single brow and I huffed, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. "He's not exactly...right in the head. What he does to those animals in there, those _chimeras_, it's disgusting. And I don't trust him with my little sister. You can only used animals for so long."

"Are you suggesting that your father will use Nina for one of his experiments?" I let go of his arm and stepped back.

"Maybe. I don't know what goes on in that head of his. But I plan on gaining custody of her in a year and I'm getting her the hell out of that house. It's not safe." I looked between the blonde woman and Mustang. "It may not be Nina, but it could very well be an innocent citizen. Just, promise me that when I leave, you make sure that nobody gets hurt because of his shit?"

He stared at me for a moment before nodding. "Have a good day, Miss Tucker."

"It's Mari, Miss Tucker was my mother."

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><p>After playing with Nina for a few hours, I started to clean up around the house. I gathered up all of the dishes that were around the house, doing them first since there were barely any clean dishes to use. Nina even came to help, drying them so that I'd have room to make dinner later.<p>

"Hun, why don't you go play with Alexander? He looks like he could use come exercise." I smiled down at her, ruffling her hair. Really, I just needed her out of the way so I could clean.

"Okay!" I watched her run off before grabbing the books in the kitchen, holding up the small stack with one arm. I went around the house picking up stray books, a large stack in each arm, going above my head. I easily found my way to the library, having the house memorized from the last time I was here. I opened the door with my elbow and started walking in the directions of where I thought the tables were.

"Oh let me help you with that!" I heard a voice say and turned my head to look, but then the world just started spinning. I stumbled, a few books falling off the the stack, and gasped. Shit, I forgot to take my iron pill today. I stopped walking, closing my eyes and taking deep breathes. The stacks were taken from my arms, but I was more focused on breathing. "Are you okay?"

"N-No. Um, in the d-dining room, my bag is on the table. Can you p-please go get it?" I managed to get out, grabbing a chair with shaky hands and collapsing in it.

"Of course!" The suit of armor ran out the door and I groaned, running my hands through my hair.

"Are you anemic?" I looked up to see the blond boy staring at me, his book forgotten in his lap.

"Yeah, have been since I was born. I was born premature, so of course something was going to be wrong with me." The suit of armor ran back in with my bag and I dug through it, pulling out my bottle of iron pills. While I was at it, I grabbed my other prescriptions, setting them out on the table. In total, there were four pills that I had to take every day. "It doesn't help that I refuse to eat anything with a face on it, so I don't get enough iron in my body without the pills."

"That's a lot of medicine..." The suit of armor commented and I shrugged, while the blond boy stood up and walked over, grabbing one of the bottles and looking at the description. I opened my iron pills and took one, not bothering with asking either of them to get a drink. I was used to taking pills dry.

"Iron tablets, anxiety medication, anti-depressants, and something for my headaches." I listed them off, grabbing the bottle from the kid. I opened each bottle and shaking out a pill.

"Damn, lady." I rolled my eyes, shoving the bottles back in my bag.

"It's Mari, not lady. And you are?"

"I'm Alphone, but you can call me Al." The suit of armor introduced himself, his tone polite. He pointed to the blond, who must have lost interest in the conversation, because he was back to reading through one of Shou's research books. "And that's my older brother, Edward. We're the Elric brothers."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Al." I smiled, knocking my fist against his armor. Hm, it echoed throughout the armor. That normally wouldn't happen if someone is inside. "You're hollow, aren't you?"

"W-What? No, of course not!" He shook his hands out in front of him, but I wasn't convinced. I darted forward and snatched his helmet off, not all that surprised when I saw nothing inside. "Hey, that's rude!" I tossed his helmet back at him, and he put it back on hastily.

"And so is lying!" I huffed, hands on my hips. "Don't worry, though. I won't tell. We all have skeletons in our closets." I shrugged and smiled at him. He stared at me for a few moments before nodding.

"Are... Are you not going to ask how I got in this body?" I started picking up the books I'd dropped and carried them over to the shelf Edward was leaning against. He was still absorbed in his book.

"Don't ask, don't tell. If you want to tell me, go right ahead. If not, then I won't bother digging up what has to be painful memories."

"Alright." Al helped me put up the rest of the book I'd brought into the library, even though he didn't have to. After we were done, he went back to researching with his brother.

"Odd pair, the two of you." I shook my head and left to get more books, and make Edward a snack since he's been here a few hours.

Nina ran by with Alexander chasing her, giggling all the way, and I watched her for a moment. "Be careful, Nina! This place is still dirty, you might trip over something!"

It's pure luck that, that dog hasn't found Mimi yet. The poor cat was hiding out in the kitchen, up on one of the cabinets. I shook my head at her and grabbed some turkey meat out of the fridge, throwing a slice up to the Serval while I was making Edward a sandwich, and a glass of orange juice. There was milk in the fridge, but it was so long past expired that I just threw the entire thing in the trash. I could've sworn it growled at me...

"Hey, blondey, time to eat." I kicked Edward's shoe, but he kept on reading. "Edwaaaaaard." Still nothing. I huffed and reached down, yanking the book from his hands.

"Hey!" He looked up and glared at me, but I just glared back and shoved the tray towards him.

"Eat." The idiot looked down and blinked, grabbing the tray from me.

"Uh, thanks." I nodded and dog eared the page, closing it and setting it down next to him. I sat down cross legged across from him, picking at my nails.

"Does it hurt?" I asked him, nodding towards his automail. "I know a recipe that can help pain in joints. It's a tea, it's actually pretty good."

"No, it's fine." I shrugged and looked over at Al, who was taking notes from the book he had open.

"If you two have anything to ask about anatomy, I can help. Just holler for me and I should be able to help." I told them, and they looked at me surprised. "What? I just graduated from med school, I'd consider myself an expert on the human body."

"Oh, that's cool." Al looked at me, and if he had a body, I'd bet you anything he was smiling. I coughed, cheeks burning just the slightest.

"Uh, thanks." I stood up and grabbed the finished tray from Edward, holding it up against my hip. "I'll be making dinner in like two hours, if you're still around here by then."

"Okay! I'll make sure Brother comes to eat."

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><p>"Dad, dinner's ready." I knocked on the door to Shou's research lab, but all I got as a response was a string of curses and something being knocked over downstairs. I sighed and walked back to the dining room, where everyone else was seated. "Looks like he's not joining us."<p>

"It's alright, sissy, big brothers are here to eat with us." Nina smiled at me and I returned it, if not a little forced.

"Okay, Nina." I grabbed the soup ladle and poured enough into everyone's bowl, except for Al since he didn't have a body to eat with. Just the thought saddened me, but I didn't let it show.

"Uh, sissy? What is this?"

"It's a Xingese soup that I learned from a friend. It's very good." I brought the bowl up to my mouth and tipped it back, drinking it straight from the bowl.

"Is there any milk in it?" Edward asked, glaring at his bowl.

"No, there's no milk in it. Why?" He just glowered at the bowl and started eating.

"Brother hates milk." Al informed me and I snorted.

"No wonder he's so tiny." Edward slammed his spoon down on the table and glared at me.

"Don't call me-" He was cut off by knocking. I smirked at him and stood up to go answer it, Mimi following me.

"Hello?" An attractive blond (so many blonds lately!) stood there, dressed in a military uniform. There was an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and I had to hold back from telling him how unhealthy it was.

"I'm here to pick up Fullmetal and his brother." I stared at him and he quickly corrected himself. "Edward and Alphonse."

"Oh! We just started dinner, so they're in there eating. You can join us if you'd like." I didn't wait for an answer, instead grabbing his arm and dragging him inside, kicking the door shut behind me.

"U-Uh, okay?" I sat him down in one of the chairs and grabbed a bowl and spoon from the kitchen, setting it down in front of him and filling his bowl with the delicious soup.

"Hello, Lieutenant Havoc." Al greeted the blond politely and I turned to him.

"Lieutenant, huh? Nice." I grinned at him and he stuttered, cheeks lighting up.

"Thank you." I chuckled at him and his cheeks grew even more dark.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You'll be coming back tomorrow, right?" I asked the boys right before they were leaving, glancing at Havoc out of the corner of my eye. He's the first actual attractive man I've seen in a while.

"Yes, we still need to do more research." Edward answered and I nodded.

"That's good. Nina's already grown attached to you two." Al laughed and I smiled, looking down at ruffling Ed's hair, pissing him off. "Be careful, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever." He huffed and stomped out to the car. Al followed, apologizing for his brother's behavior. I looked at Havoc, who was actually taller than me by half an inch.

"Will I be seeing _you _tomorrow as well, Lieutenant?" He smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets, and I almost swooned. Damn it, that smirk with the cigarette in his mouth was just- no. It's not fair for someone to be that attractive.

"Maybe. Depends on how much paperwork I have to do."

"Well, make sure you don't have much. I could use another adult to talk to around here." I leaned against the doorway, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How old are you, anyway?" He asked, his smirk not wavering..

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman's age?" I mock glared at him and he blushed, stuttering. "It's fine, I was joking. I just turned twenty three, this past June."

"Alright. I-"

"Havoc, stop flirting and hurry the hell up!" Edward shouted from the car and we both blushed.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I watched him glare at Edward while getting in the car, making me laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yiss, actual criticism on one of my stories. Thank you for that. Any tips on how to make Mari not like a Mary Sue is helpful!**

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything except for my OCs and their storyline.**

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><p>Two weeks. That's how long the Elric brothers had been here. In that time, they've gotten further into their research, and Nina's gotten even more attached to them. That fact worried me, since they'd probably have to leave soon enough. Would she be able to deal with that? The poor child had people abandoning her left and right.<p>

"Cens for your thoughts?" I jumped, looking over at Havoc. He didn't stay around often, but today was a day where he didn't have much paperwork. He was helping me clean the second to last room, which was Nina's. There were broken toys everywhere, but Nina would never throw them away. I had Al distracting her while we were cleaning, so she wouldn't throw a fuss while I cleaned.

"Just thinking about what'll happen when the boys leave." I muttered, handing him another toy to put in the plastic bag. His jacket was tired around his waist, giving me a nice view of his too-tight v-neck that he was wearing. I swear, I think he's doing it on purpose.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He waved his hand, unconcerned about it. Nina had even grown a liking to Jean, calling him 'Uncle Havoc' whenever she saw him.

"Jean, she has abandonment issues. Ever since Mom died, she never lets go of anything that she's attached to. Her room is proof enough." I sighed, tossing another toy to him. Why did Shou keep buying her toys if he knew they were going to get broken?

"It's not like they'll leave forever, Mari. I'm sure they'll visit." He chewed on his cigarette, rolling it between his teeth. I frowned and we continued on after that.

I looked over at a very girlish yelp, watching a mouse scurry past his feet. I snickered and picked it up by the tail. "Really? You're scared of a mouse?"

He glared at me. "No, it just surprised me is all."

"Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes and he huffed. "Mimi!" I called for my girl and she ran into the room, eyes locking on the mouse immediately. She darted for it but I turned my back, not even flinching as she jumped on it. Her paws hit my back rapidly for a second before she jumped off. "Mimi, calm down." She meowed impatiently and sat down, staring up at the mouse. I waited for a moment before dropping it and she caught it in her teeth before it could hit the ground.

"No playing with your food, got it, Missy?" I warned her and she started chewing, making Jean grunt in disgust.

"That's gross."

"That's life."

"You're odd, you know that?" He smiled and I rolled my eyes, carrying a handful of toys over to put in the bag.

"Oh please, don't act like you don't like it." I teased him, batting my eyelashes at him. His face grew red and I laughed, turning to go back to cleaning but he grabbed my arm, pulling me back towards him. He pecked me on the lips quickly and smirked.

"I do like it." It took me a few seconds to react before I was blushing like crazy. I cleared my throat and picked up the closest toy, throwing it in the bag.

"That was uncalled for." He just grinned cheekily and I sighed.

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><p>The last place I was cleaning was, disgustingly enough, was my dad's research lab. There's something down there that smelled so horrid, I had to gag every time I passed the door. I listened for any clue that Shou would be down there, and finding none, I opened the door and snuck down the stairs. There were cages everywhere, and I didn't know where the light switch was so all I saw was a bunch of glowing eyes. Some of the creatures whimpered in fear, others jumped at the cage and growled.<p>

"You poor things..." I whispered, reaching my hand through the cage and petting one of the more calm animals. "It's inhumane, what he does to you."

I pulled my hand out and picked up the trash around the room, wanting to get out of the basement as soon as possible. I tied the bag off and ran up the steps, throwing the smelly bag next to all the other trash bags. After checking to see if Nina was with the boys, I grabbed my car keys and left to go talk to a hot headed Colonel.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I need to speak to Roy Mustang, please." The receptionist looked up and glowered at me.

"I'm sorry, but unless you have an appointment, I can't let you do that."

"I _need _to talk to him, it's important!" She huffed.

"And _I _need a raise, but we can't all get what we want, Missy."

"I'm talking to him, one way or another." I pointed at her and started walking in the direction I thought his office would be in.

"Security!" I took off in a dead sprint, barely catching the names on the doors.

"Stop!" I glanced back behind me and saw at least three officers chasing me, which only made me go faster.

"Michaels, Johnson, Suoh... Mustang!" I twisted the doorknob and threw myself at the door, falling to the ground and kicking it closed behind me. "Son of a bitch... I need to run more." I wheezed, holding my hands on my aching lungs.

"Mari?" I looked up and saw a familiar blond that smelled like an ashtray, and grinned.

"Hey, Havoc! How's it going?" He held a hand out for me and I grabbed it, letting him pull me up. Before anyone could comment, the three officers burst through the door.

"Freeze!" They shouted, pointing their guns at me. I screamed and hid behind Havoc.

"It's alright, men. I know who she is." Hot Head informed them and they scowled, glaring at me and turning to leave. "What is it that you need, Miss Tucker?"

"It's Mari, Miss Tucker was my mother." I answered automatically, even though I've told him this before. "And I need to talk to you about my father's research." I pulled away from Havoc and walked over to Roy's desk, slamming my hands on top of the wood. "Why in the absolute _shit _are you letting that man do what he does?"_  
><em>

"Such foul language for a young lady." I scowled and gave him the middle finger.

"You've no doubt seen the creatures he keeps in those cages." At his nod, I continued. "It's inhumane, what he does to them. Forcing two animals to become one, that's not right." Mustang looked uninterested in the conversation.

"Alchemy does many things, creating chimeras is just one of them." I glared at him and pulled back, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fine, if you're not concerned about the chimeras, then be concerned about Nina. You saw how disgusting that house was when you came over, why have you not contacted Child Service's? It's obvious he's not fit to take care of her, since he's too busy with his research."

"I don't see why I need to now, you're here to take care of her." He pointed out and I cringed.

"But I don't have custody over her, which is what I need." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "If there's any reason that I need to leave before the year is over, I need to be able to take her with me, without worried about police running after me for kidnapping."

"...I'll see what I can do." I smiled, feeling like a small weight was lifted from my shoulders.

"Thank you, Mustang." I turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway. "Oh, and remember my warning about Shou. I don't trust him, not at all."

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><p>It took a few days before a worker from Child Services was over to take a look at the house and assess me. I managed to have Shou working in his lab all day, so I wouldn't have to worry about him finding out what I'm planning to do.<p>

"Hello, Miss Mari." The woman held her hand out for me to shake and I did, smiling at her. "My name's Annabelle Brown, but you can call me Anna." She held a clipboard in her hands, and looked very stern.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I led her to the dining room and she sat down while I went to go make tea. "I wish I'd called you a few days before. Then you'd have seen why I'm concerned over my sister's well-being." I set her cup down in front of her and went to take a seat across from herself. "There was dirt, dust, and books everywhere. The dishes looked like they hadn't been done in months, it's a surprise that she's not underfed..."

I kept my voice low, in case Shou decided to come out of his lab for any reason.

"I'll take your word for it." She said, eyeing the pile of trash bags I've yet to throw out. "Do you have a job, Miss Mari?" I cringed, rubbing the back of my neck.

"No, but I do have money left over from saving while I worked during school. I just graduated medical school, and I plan on going to Fort Briggs to work under their doctor. So I'll have the money to support her."

"You plan on having her stay in a military environment?" Her eyebrows rose and she wrote something down on the clipboard.

"If I'm able, I will look for a house to stay in, in the town. If I'm forced to stay in the Fort, I'll make sure she's always safe."

"And schooling?"

"I plan on homeschooling her."

"And her social life?"

"I'm sure she'll make great friends with the kids in town."

Annabelle kept asking me questions until she was satisfied enough to leave. "It was nice meeting you, Miss Mari. Expect a letter in the mail within a few days." She shook my hand and I sighed, closing the door behind her. I could only hope for the best.

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><p>"See you tomorrow!" Nina and I stood in the doorway, waving to the boys and Havoc as they left. Shou was behind us, waving as well.<p>

"Oh, and Tucker, Colonel Mustang has a message for you. 'Don't forget, assessment day is coming up.'" Havoc called and I heard Shou's breath stop behind me.

"Oh yes, assessment day." He muttered and I glanced back at him, worried. Havoc drove off and I shut the door, turning to look at Shou.

"Girls, how would you like to help your dad with his research?" Before I could deny the offer, Nina was smiling up at him.

"Alright, daddy!" I sighed and he gestured for us to follow him down to the lab.

"I can't see a thing." I mumbled, searching for a life switch. I found one and flipped it, cringing at all the cages I saw a few days ago.

"I'm not religious, but Lord save us all." I muttered under my breathe, keeping an arm around Nina.

"Come over here, girls." Shou gestured for us to come over to one part of the room and Nina dragged me over, desperate to do anything to help Shou.

Sitting on a transmutation circle was Alexander, chained to the ground. Nina ripped her hand from mine and ran over, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Daddy, why do you have Alexander all tied up?" She asked and he kneeled down, just outside of the circle.

"Because he's helping me with my assessment as well." She nodded and he put his hands on the transmutation, sending blue sparks and alchemic energy everywhere.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I screamed, flinching when Nina started screaming in pain, and tried to pull him away from the circle. He jerked his arm back and his elbow hit me on my temple, making me stumble back and fall. Everything grew fuzzy and I groaned, trying to hold onto what little consciousness I had. But I could only hold on for so long before it all went numb.

Well, shit.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I woke up feeling like every molecule in my body was on fire. Someone was screaming, and it took a second to figure out that it was me.

"Just a little while longer, Mari." I heard Shou call, but I couldn't even find enough energy to curse him out. I screamed even more, curling into a tight ball.

It felt like hours, but it could have been a few minutes, before the fire started to burn out, leaving me exhausted.

"A perfect human chimera." I heard him mutter and I tried to lunge at him, a snarl ripping itself from my throat, but a chain jerked me back. I looked down and saw myself chained to the floor, a metal collar around my neck, much like Alexander was. "Your cat was a great service to my experiment, Mari." I glared at him before realizing something.

Oh no, Nina!

I looked over at where she was and very my throat close up. Instead of Nina and Alexander, there was a blond dog with feet too big for it's body, and it had long brown hair all over it's head.

"You sick bastard!" I screamed at Shou, but he had no reaction. I tried crawling over to them, but the chain held me back.

"Big...Sister...hurting." The voice was all wrong, but I knew that it was Nina. I held my arms out and she slowly stumbled over. I wrapped my arms around her neck and cried, harder than I ever had before. I cried for Nina, for Alexander, for Mimi.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wanted to protect you, I really did." I cried, and she put her head on my shoulder.

"It's...o...kay." Nina struggled to get out and I sniffled, running a hand through her fur.

Shou just stood there, staring at us from where he was.

"Nina? Mari?" I heard a voice from upstairs and gasped, looking up at where the stairs to the lab were.

"Bo-!" Shou hit me, with what I didn't know, but it left me on the floor groaning in pain. I clutched my jaw, curling into a small ball to try and focus on anything but the stinging pain.

"Quiet, Mari." He growled and I whimpered, curling in on myself.

"Shou?" I heard Al call, but my jaw hurt to much to make a sound.

"I did it, boys. I finally did it." I could hear him crouch down next to us, and flinched at the sound of his voice. "A chimera that understands human speech." Lightning could be heard from outside and I flinched, the noise sounding much louder to my ears than it should have. "Here, let me show you." He led Nina over to the boys, who were at the edge of the stairs. "Listen to me. That person is Edward."

"Ed...ward?"

"Yes, very good." Shou petted Nina on the head, making me growl.

"That's amazing! It can really talk!" Edward stared down at Nina in shock, and I wanted nothing more than to scream out and say that it wasn't amazing, that it was Nina.

"Yes, now I don't have to worry about losing my State Alchemist Certificate." He laughed and stood up, while Edward kneeled down in front of Nina.

"Ed...ward..." His mouth dropped and he grinned in awe at, what he thought, was just a talking chimera. "That person...Ed...ward... That person... Ed...ward." She repeated, "Big...bro...ther..." Ed's eyes widened in horror, and he finally realized it.

"Tucker, when did you get your State Certificate?" Edward asked in a low voice.

"Let's see...It was two years ago." Shou answered.

"And when did your wife leave you?"

"Two years ago."

"I have one more question..." Edward looked back at Shou and glared heatedly. "Nina and Alexander, and Mari and Mimi, where are they?!"

"Damn brat figured it out so quickly!" Shou gasped before Ed was lunging at him and slamming him against the wall.

"Brother!" Al gasped, holding a hand out as if to stop him. I growled, finally gathering the energy to jerk against the chains. That got Al's attention, and he turned to my direction and gasped when he caught sight of me. "Mari!" Edward glanced back and his eyes caught mine, and, as if it were possible, he got even more angry.

"You went and did it, didn't you? Two years ago it was your wife! And this time, you used your own daughters and their pets to transmute a chimera!" He snapped, his voice shaking from the anger in it. "You can only do so much with animals, after all!" Damn it, I knew I was right to suspect Shou of using human life. I just didn't think he'd use it so soon. "It's much easier when you start with a human, isn't that right?!"

"I don't see what you're so upset about!" Shou looked down at Edward, the only light in the room causing a glare over his glasses. "Mankind's progress has been the result of countless experimentation, has it not? If you're a scientist, then-"

"Screw you! Do you think you can get away with something like this?" Edward yelled, "Messing around with someone's life like that?!"

"Someone's life, you say? Hah!" Shou grinned, making me feel sick to my stomach. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Fullmetal Alchemist? You arm, leg, your brother- that was also the result of toying with someone's life, was it not?"

"SHUT UP!" Edward roared, punching him in the face with his automail hand, knocking Shou's glasses off.

"We are the same!" He turned back, grinning at the shorter of the two. "We're just the same, you and me!"

"We're not!"

"Yes we are! The possibility was right in front of us, so we took it! We had to, even though it was taboo!"

"No!" Edward punched him in the face. "Not me!" And again. "Alchemist's don't..." And again. "...do this sort of thing!" And again. "I'm not... I'm not..." He raised his fist to punch him again, but Al stopped him.

"Brother, stop! You'll kill him if you keep hitting him like that!"

"Serves him right." I rasped from my spot on the ground, glaring at the man I used to call my father. Edward kept glaring at Shou, his hands shaking, before he froze.

"Daddy... do you hurt?" Nina asked, stumbling over to him. Ed looked over, his eyes wide. "Daddy...hurting..." Edward dropped Shou, a look of hopelessness on his face. Al knelt down to Nina's level and put his hand on her head.

"I'm sorry. Even with our power, we can't return you to normal." Al said, barely above a whisper. I jerked against my chains, wanting to hug my poor little sister, but it kept me where I was. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." If he could cry, I'm sure he would be.

"Here," I flinched, looking at Edward, who had walked over to me while I was distracted. He clapped his hands and put them on the collar around my neck, breaking it and letting me free. I immediately darted over to Nina, wrapping my arms around her neck again. I could feel myself starting to cry again, but made no move to hide it.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." I mumbled. "I wanted to keep you safe, but I couldn't."

"Let's play... Let's...play." She rasped and I flinched.

"I made it in time... Now I'll be a State Alchemist again." I heard Shou say from behind me and I felt rage swell up inside me. Before anyone, meaning Edward, could make a move I was already pouncing on the man.

"You sick son of a bitch!" I felt my nails expand into points, and my teeth grow larger, but I was more focused on trying to claw his eyes out. I snarled, the sound sounding so...not human, and went to rip his throat out with my teeth when someone wrapped their arms around me and pulled me back.

"Mari, don't!" It was Edward, and his automail arm made it almost impossible for me to get out of his hold. I fought against him, trying to reach out to claw at Shou.

"Damn it, Edward! Let me at him!" I growled, fighting against his grip. I kept fighting for a minute before going limp, feeling more hopeless than I ever have. "Damn it. Damn it." I covered my eyes with my hands, breaking down in sobs again.

"Someone needs to call Colonel Mustang..." Al quietly said from where he was. Right, we needed the military to come here and arrest Shou.

"I'll do it." I whispered, pulling out of Edward's grip and stumbled up the steps to the house.

I passed a mirror on my way, and almost fainted from the shock.

My once brown hair was a pale blonde, looking almost white. I must have gotten that from...from Mimi, since she was an albino Serval. My canines were longer, and much sharper than they should me. It looked like I had cat ears sewn to the top of my head, and they'd twitch every now and then at every new sound. I looked down at my nails, which looked more like claws. My pupils were in slits, making my green eyes stand out even more. I looked very...creature-like. I looked away from the mirror, disgusted at myself, and went to go find the nearest phone.

"Hello, this is Roy Mustang." I gripped the phone, my throat closing up. "Hello?"

"Hot Head, I was right." I managed to gasp out, putting my back to the wall and sliding down. "About Shou. You- you need to get over here. Now. _Please_." I let the phone go and it hung there, still on the line. I pulled my knees to my chest, flinching at Edward's anguished scream from the basement.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a few hours late, but happy FMA day guys! It's short, but I wanted to post something for 10/3 so yeah. Review and feedback are appreciated!**

**Disclaimer; I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, just my OCs and the plotline for them.**

* * *

><p><em>"Sissy, push me higher!" A small girl, no older than three, looked back at her older sister. They shared similar features. Both had brunette hair, the older of the two having much shorter hair than the child. They both shared their mother's nose, but the younger had her father's eyes, while the older had her mother's.<em>

_"Girls, be careful!" A woman with dirty blonde hair stood in the doorway to the backyard, her arms crossed over her apron-covered chest. _

_"We are, mother!" The older, almost twenty-two, looked back and smiled. _

_"Yeah, Mari won't let me get hurt. Right, Mari?" The smaller girl looked behind her and tried grabbing her sister's arm, but started falling backwards off of the swing. Their mother's gasp could be heard, loud and clear, but the older wasn't worried._

_She grabbed the child before she could hit the ground and held her close, frowning slightly._

_"Right, Nina."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise."_

Mari jolted, looking around at her surroundings. Right, she had snuck away before the military got close to the house and went to the train station. She stayed around enough to learn what'd happened back at her home before leaving. She was on a train, hidden up in the luggage, heading towards Central City.

She groaned, running a hand through her short, white hair. Her rib ached, her cuts stung, and the bruises on her body were throbbing dully. While she had turned out better than Nina- she flinched at the thought of her sister's name-, she didn't come out unscathed.

Mari could feel the train coming to a stop and waited for a few moments before climbing out and joining the hype of the passengers exiting the train. She made sure that the hood of the coat she'd _borrowed _was up, hiding her new features from the crowd. She kept her head down, staying away from curious eyes.

She felt numb, both psychically and emotionally. That should have worried her, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

Something rough hit the chimera's shoulder and she stumbled back, a pained gasp escaping her lips. Pain immediately erupted in her shoulder, sending tingles throughout the rest of her body.

"Oh, I'm s- Oh no!" She hit the wet pavement- was it raining?- and it all went dark.

_"Damn it, Dad! You need to put a stop to your research and take care of your daughter! We tolerated it when mother was alive, since she could actually take care of Nina, but mom's gone now!" The woman had only been gone for half a year, but she's changed drastically in the last week. Learning of your mother's death does that to you, I guess. Her eyes had dark circles underneath her eyes, and her skin was just a shade too pale._

_"I-I can't, I need to keep working." Shou didn't even look up from his notebook, instead glancing back and forth between it and a large book, his hand messily scribbling words onto the paper._

_"You _need _to take care of your daughter, damn it! I don't even think she's been fed since mom died! Get your shit tog-" Shou stood and spun around, wrapping his hand around Mari's arm so tight she could already feel the bruises forming._

_"Do __**not **__tell me how to raise my child, Mari." His voice was low, threatening, and it sent an unseasy shiver down the woman's spine._

_"Then start acting like the father she needs right now, Shou." Mari spat, her bright green eyes narrowing at the man._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_"Don't worry, Nina. One day I'll get you out of this house, and we can go live wherever you want, in the biggest house so we can all play around." The older brunette looked down at her little sister, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to keep my promise to you, Nina. I'll protect you with every fiber in my being, until the day I die."_

_Mari brushed back the girl's hair, her breath shaky. "I'm so sorry I've been gone, baby. I'll try and stay as long as I can, this time. And maybe I'll be able to take you with me."_

Mari sat up and gasped, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She was barely aware of the sweat that covered her body, digging her nails into the arms of whoever was trying to push her back down.

"Miss, you need to- ow!- calm down, please!" It was a woman's voice, not Shou's. Mari stopped struggling, gulping in large breaths of air as if they would be her last, which for a moment, she had thought they were.

Seeing that she was calming down, the woman leaned back, but kept her hands on Mari's arms to keep her steady. Now that she wasn't moving blindly, the chimera could see the woman clearly. She had short, light brown- almost a dirty blonde- hair, but not as short as Mari's was. Her eyes were green, reminding Mari of her mother. In fact, the woman had this whole maternal vibe about her, and the chimera saw the reason out of the corner of her eye.

"Lady, why do you have kitty ears?" The girl, looking barely younger than Nina was- had been, asked bluntly.

"Elicia!" The woman scolded, but the curiosity was in her eyes as well.

"N-No, it's fine." Mari looked at the woman and gave her a small smile before turning her attention back to the girl. She reminded her so much of Nina, it made her chest hurt. "They were given to me. D-Do you want to pet them?"

"Yeah!" The girl grinned and rushed forward, making Mari flinched back slighty, fear sparking through her for a split second- which was ridiculous, what could a child that's not even five going to do?-, but she kept still as the girl hesitantly put her hands on one ear, rubbing it softly.

Much to Mari's dismay, the gesture actually started to feel good, and it wasn't until the woman next to her started giggling that she realized she'd started purring without knowing it.

"Alright, Elicia, that's enough. Why don't you go play with your toys in your room?" The woman suggested, but it sounded more like a command. The girl pouted but turned around and ran off.

"Are you alright, Miss-?"

"Mari. No last name." She'd dropped it the moment she got on the train, wanting to leave everything about that name behind her, in the past.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Gracia." The woman smiled and held out her hand, and Mari hesitantly went to shake it when she saw the marks on Gracia's arms. They looked like claw marks, similar to a cat's. She looked down and saw that her nails were still sharp, and gasped in horror.

"Oh my god, did I do that? I'm so sorry, oh my god I feel horrible. Please, I didn't-" Panic set in and she was stumbling over her words like there was no tomorrow.

"Mari, it's alright. You weren't aware of your surroundings." Gracia leaned forward and patted the chimera on the shoulder. Mari was slightly gasping for air after to outburst, but it soon turned to pained ones as she started to feel the full efffects of what had happened in the last few days. "Oh no! Are you alright?"

"No..."

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Gracia looked panicked, barely keeping Mari up as she gasped and lurched forward.

"My sister...she's _dead_! I-I promised t-to protect her, but I fa-_failed_! I broke my p-promise and n-now she's dead!" There were tears rushing down Mari's face, and she clutched at her chest as if it would ease the pain in her heart. "She died the exact same way mom had. I couldn't- I couldn't save her!"

Gracia pulled the younger woman into her arms, trying to calm her down. She smoothed down her hair, rocking the woman back and forth gently. Mari just stared straight ahead of her, gasping for breath with tears pouring down her face.

"My sister's dead..."


	5. Authors Note

**I'm like really sorry if you were expecting a chapter, because this is not one. **

**Yeah so writers block has just came and hit me like a truck, for basically everything I've been working on. Which is a lot more than just the stories I've been posting on here. **

**It sucks because I love the three stories I have up now but I cannot for the life of me think of what to do next. And if I do think of something, it doesn't turn out the way I want it so I'll end up deleting everything I've written so far.**

**Eh.**

**And when I do have an idea, I can't bring myself to work on it. It's not common knowledge, but I do have severe depression, and a lot of the time I can't bring myself to do anything. Whether it be writing, working on school, that sort of stuff. I'll try writing when I feel like it, but I lose interest way too quickly.**

**I'm sorry for taking so long, I really am.**

**- Jay**


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